Latest news with #ICUWorldChampionships
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
A pair of Hawaii born Cheerleaders win World Championship
Hawaii's Cayla Cabanban and Anuhea Keene competed for USA Cheerleading in the ICU World Championships in April. The Duo traveled to Orlando, Florida and helped lead Team USA to a 1st place finish to secure the gold. 'This is everything I've I've trained for, I dreamed of. I like, prayed for. And so I just took it moment, moment by moment, step by step, and just lived in the moment and tried not to get carried away with how I was feeling at the time,' said Cabanban. Keene, a Moanalua High School Alum was in her 5th stint with Team USA and winning her 5th ICU Premiere Co-Ed Championship. While Cabanban, a Sacred Hearts alum and former Rainbow Wahine, was in her 1st year with USA Cheer at this competition. 'It was it was surreal. It was everything I ever dreamed of since I was a little kid and first ever started cheerleading,' said Cabanban. For these two to earn a spot on the roster, they had to go through tryouts in October of 2024, and then once selected the squad only had a few months to prepare together before competition in April of 2025. 'There's only two girls on the team that that are on the US national team from Hawaii. So like, it's just very grateful to know that we in Hawaii still have talent and we can compete at this level just like everybody else, no matter how small the island is,' said Cabanban. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
STV News
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- STV News
Scotland's cheerleading team takes home gold at ICU World Championships
Scotland's national cheerleading team has had plenty to cheer about after clinching gold on the world stage. The squad – made up of members from across the country – flew out to Orlando, Florida last month to compete in the annual International Cheer Union (ICU) World Championships. Held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, within the Walt Disney World Resort, they were joined by teams and individuals from 120 countries – all vying to be crowned victors. This year, it was Team Scotland's turn to take home the crown, coming top in the Unified Adaptive Abilities Median Cheer category. 'It was such a great moment,' says team captain Joshua Craik. 'I was just unbelievably proud of everyone. Being able to watch them grow throughout the season and just develop, and being able to go and do what we planned to do – winning gold – completely topped it all off. 'It felt unreal. I don't know if there's going to be another feeling that's going to match it.' The adaptive abilities unified cheer division brings disabled and non-disabled athletes together as one team. STV News Scotland's cheer team takes home gold from world championships in Florida For the ICU World Championships, squads are required to be comprised of 25% or more athletes with a physical, sensory, or intellectual disability. Team Scotland member Danielle Brown has been cheering for 22 years, but was told by doctors and physios that she would never be able to dance again. 'Clearly, I've proved them wrong,' she said. 'Being a part of Team Scotland and being a part of a unified team, especially in adaptive ability, it's just such an amazing feeling to be out there with a team that's from all across Scotland as well.' Fellow team member Annie Headrick added: 'I never thought I could do it with my disability. I'm blind in one eye, so catching and tumbling aren't really my forte. 'But it worked out really well and they've been really supportive in helping me learn more with it as well. '[The competition] was actually insane. Everyone was cheering everyone on. It was just really positive and we were all just sharing what we love, so it was really nice to be there.' Cheerleading's popularity in the UK continues to grow, but often its status as a sport is overlooked. It can be a dangerous activity due to the nature of routines, particularly those involving lifts and stunts; yet it still carries stereotypes that athletes have fought to dismiss over the years. 'It's so much harder than people realise,' says Team Scotland coach Victoria Orton-Bichener. 'Everyone comes to us and just says 'what sport are you cheering for?' or 'have you got your pom poms?' and all this sort of stuff, but we're here to show people that it's so much more than that. 'It's so difficult, the technical skills that these girls are performing, they're so hard and they take years to perfect. So we just want to show people what cheerleading can really be about.' STV News Cheerleaders 'unbelievably proud' after ICU victory The International Olympic Committee finally recognised cheerleading as a sport in its own right back in 2021. It hasn't made it into the line-up of sports set to debut at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, but calls are now underway for it to be included in Brisbane 2032. Here, sportscotland also granted cheerleading recognition as a sport in February 2025. Team Scotland hopes that this, along with their huge win in the US, will prompt more respect. National team director Colette Cheape said: 'This is so important in recognising the tireless effort from athletes, coaches, officials, supporters. Over many years they've been working hard to gain the sport the respect that it deserves. 'It's shown the discipline and the athleticism and the commitment that's involved in the sport. Now that sportscotland have turned round and recognised us, that we are indeed a sport, it opens up so many more opportunities for us, and the growth and development of the sport. 'The future's looking really bright and we're really excited to see where it takes us.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
RTÉ News
28-04-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Irish team makes history at ICU cheerleading championship in Florida
Ireland has won its first ever world medal in cheerleading and earned its highest senior team placement to date. A team of 18 athletes aged 12-14 from counties Galway and Kerry secured a bronze medal in the youth coed median division of the 2025 International Cheer Union (ICU) World Cheerleading Championships in Orlando, Florida. It is the first time an Irish national cheer team has medaled at the ICU World Championships. Another team, made up of 17 athletes from Galway, Killarney, Enniskillen and Belfast, finished in the seventh place, the highest ever placement for an Irish senior cheerleading team at the event. It marks a major breakthrough for cheerleading in Ireland and highlights the continued growth of the athletes on the global stage. Over 70 nations and thousands of athletes take part in the ICU World Cheerleading Championships each year. President of Cheer Sport Ireland, Fiona Collumb, said they are "beyond proud" of the Youth Coed Team securing third place. "After 14 years of attending, this is a truly remarkable accomplishment," she said.
CBS News
25-04-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
University of Minnesota dance team wins gold and silver in ICU World Championships
The University of Minnesota Dance Team will represent Team USA at International Cheer Union Champion The University of Minnesota Dance Team will represent Team USA at International Cheer Union Champion The University of Minnesota Dance Team will represent Team USA at International Cheer Union Champion The University of Minnesota dance team will be returning home with gold and silver medals earned while representing Team USA in the ICU World Championships. On Friday, the university announced the Gopher squad won gold by defeating Japan and Mexico in the Pom division. The team also won silver in the Jazz division, with Japan taking home the gold. It's the third time Minnesota has represented the U.S. National Team following its 2010 and 2014 appearances. It's the fourth gold and third silver for the Gophers since their first appearance. University of Minnesota In January, the Gopher dance team won its nation-leading 23rd national championship and was selected to represent the country earlier this month. Over 4,500 people were in the stands for their world competition send-off performance at Williams Arena. "Going to that next level and representing the United States is truly an honor," Emily Jeffcoat, U of M dancer, said to WCCO at that performance. The ICU World Championships, which began in 2004, were held in Orlando, Florida. Note: Featured video is from April 19, 2025
